Dirty secrets
WHAT is it about powerful, highprofile men, and their inability to treat women as autonomous human beings, as opposed to a pair of breasts with their own public transport system?
Donald Trump, Bill Cosby, Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes — all incredibly powerful, rich and influential men who used their power to treat women like objects.
Harvey Weinstein has allegedly joined that unenviable group of serial sexual harassers and perverts, following an explosive New
York Times investigation into three decades — yes, that’s 30 years — of claims of sexual harassment of young actors and women employees of the company he co-founded, The Weinstein Company.
Multiple women claimed Weinstein had groped them, flashed them, masturbated in front of him, cornered them in rooms and tried to kiss them, and invited young women — alone — to his hotel room and once there, asked them for a “massage”.
Weinstein released a statement admitting having caused “a lot of pain” but also denies some unspecified allegations and says he will sue the Times. He has been fired by his company.
The obscene entitlement of a man who thinks that women “owe” him is not new, but what is new is how many people, especially those who have spoken out against this type of behaviour, have stayed relatively quiet.
Actor Rose McGowan, who has become a fierce advocate against sexual assault, harassment and rape culture, reportedly received a settlement from Weinstein in 1997 for being sexually harassed.
She was quoted in the New York Times article, and has since said that she’s shocked that more highprofile Hollywood movers and shakers haven’t spoken out against Weinstein.
Contrast this silence with the wall of noise high-profile celebrities made following the many claims made against Donald Trump during his successful US presidential campaign in 2016.
Meryl Streep (who this week also spoke out against Weinstein), Lee Daniels, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Wilde, Robert De Niro, Lena Dunham and Susan Sarandon were part of the Hollywood onslaught against Trump.
Bizarrely, chef Anthony Bourdain has been the highest profile person to strongly speak against Weinstein, calling Hollywood’s powerful “nauseating, chickenhearted enablers all”.
“Where’s the loud, vocal support for these women? Mostly a shameful silence. I’m talking about all the people who knew and said nothing.”
The public narrative of who the man is, whether he’s con- sidered a “good” bloke or someone like Trump, who has long been stalked by various sexual harassment and bullying allegations, plays a strong role in whether women feel comfortable, or even safe, in reporting that behaviour, and how the public reacts.
It is easier to despise someone who you already disagree with.
In a sign of some welcome change, an increasing number of Democratic Party politicians are pressuring party officials to give away all donations that Weinstein made to their party.
Weinstein’s lecherous behaviour was allegedly a well-known and open secret in the industry, and as long as he had protection — which is businesses willing to work with them — his behaviour remained a non-issue.
And because he was the “right” type of guy — one who supported adventurous, independent films, was a supporter of the US Democratic Party and even took part in one of the recent Women’s Marches — was he was given a longer leash?
Like the mythical bogeyman that women are taught to look out for (ignoring the fact that the overwhelming majority of sexual predators are friends, family and colleagues of victims), the “good” guy is given, then abuses, the benefit of the doubt that is placed upon him. In many ways, this makes the “good” guy far more dangerous
than the traditional bad guy.